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Carry On (Novel)
Carry On is the third young adult novel written by Rainbow Rowell, published in 2015. The story follows the final year of magical schooling for Simon Snow, the "Chosen One" of the magical world prophesied to defeat the Insidious Humdrum, an evil force that has been wreaking havoc on the World of Mages for years. The novel is told through several narrative voices, including that of Simon, his roommate/enemy and later boyfriend Baz, his best friend Penelope, and his ex-girlfriend Agatha. The novel is a spinoff from Rowell's novel Fangirl. ''"Simon Snow" is the name of the fictional series of novelsthat the protagonist in ''Fangirl (Cath) obsesses about. Carry On, Simon is the name of the novel-within-a-novel-based-on-a-book-series that Cath is writing in Fangirl. However, Rowell has said that Carry On is a standalone novel and not meant to be seen as written by Cath. Plot Simon Snow is an orphaned magician returning to Watford School of Magicks for his 8th and final year. Dubbed "The Chosen One", Simon is the prophecied Greatest Mage. The prophecy promises a great threat to magick, the Insideous Humdrum, and a savior, The Greatest Mage. This problem is accompanied by political strife between The Mage, the headmaster of Watford/Head of the Coven, and the Old Families, the rich posh mackical upperclass. Yet another point of contention in Simon's life is his roommate Basilton "Baz" Grimm-Pitch. Baz's late mother was a Pitch, a highly respected family amoung the aristocratic wealthy magicians, and the former headmistress of Watford before The Mage. She was killed by Vampires in an attack on Watford falsely blamed on the Humdrum. This same attack was where Baz was turned. Baz spends the first two months of his 8th year in a coffin after being kidnapped by numptys, rock like creatures who are always cold and live under bridges. During the time Baz was being held, Simon got a visiting from Baz's mother meant for his roommate. With Baz not there, she gave her message to Simon instead. She asked him to tell her son to avenge her murder, that her killer walks, and to find Nicodemus. Every 20 years the veil between the living and dead opens up and the dead who were left with secrets that needed to be told could come back and tell a living person, usually a family member. But souls can be confused or the recipient of their message can be hidden from them like in Baz's case. Baz is eventually rescued by his aunt but not before all the visitings have ended. Simon tells Baz about the visiting and says he will help him avenge his mother despite their enemy status. Themes Homosexuality Baz is revealed to be gay early in the novel, calling himself "queer" and wondering how his father would react if he failed to carry on his family name. When Simon eventually acts upon his attraction to Baz and kisses him, Simon does not consider himself "gay" and decides he will sort out his sexuality later. He discusses it with his therapist and thinks he might be gay, while his therapist tells him it's not an important thing to consider at the time. Simon has previously had a romantic relationship with a girl, Agatha. One female character, Ebb Petty, has had relationships with other women, but it is not discussed in detail. Additionally, Penelope's roommate, Trixie, has a girlfriend. Magic The novel pays obvious homage to the Harry Potter ''series through the content of the fictional world, the overall story structure, and the extensive fandom (which is explained in ''Fangirl). Both Hogwarts and Watford are magical schools that have been in existence for centuries and both are located in the United Kingdom. However, Watford offers eight years of schooling rather than seven - but it is mentioned that the eighth year is optional. The magical learning that goes on inside the two schools, and the rules of magic, are quite different. Each student is endowed with a magical object through which they channel their magic. Some have wands, but other students have specific pieces of jewelry or clothing that they use to control their magic. Spells are created by using common turns of phrase, such as "Head over heels!" and "Up, up and away!" In one specific instance, the Mage uses lyrics from the Queen song "Bohemian Rhapsody." Class Tensions There are distinct classes within the magical community. Powerful families are members of the Mage's Council, and they are responsible for ensuring the magical line lives on through their children and is preserved at Watford. Many students at Watford, especially Agatha, worry about finding suitable mates for their prestigious magical heritage in order to preserve their family's magic and continue producing magical children. Those who are not part of this prestigious group find themselves wondering if they have a place in the magical community, since members of the Old Families feel that they do not. There are mounting conflicts between the Mage and the Old Families throughout the book because of his reforms and invasion of privacy, and because of suspicion that the Mage was controlling the Humdrum. Main Characters Simon Snow Salisbury :Main character, "The Chosen One" Tyrannus Basilton "Baz" Grimm-Pitch :A student at Watford, Simon's roommate and boyfriend Penelope "Penny" Bunce :A student at Watford, Simon's best friend Agatha Wellbelove :A student at Watford, Simon's ex-girlfriend The Mage or Davy :Headmaster of Watford Ebeneza "Ebb" Petty :Goatherd at Watford Natasha Grimm-Pitch :Baz's deceased mother, former Headmistress of Watford Lucy Salisbury :Davy's romantic partner and Simon's biological deceased mother : : Sequel A sequel, titled Wayward Son, was announced on June 3, 2018. Though originally scheduled to be released in 2020, Rowell posted a new promotional image on various social media platforms on November 7, 2018, with a new release year of 2019. It will be available for purchase on September 24th 2019.